In today’s higher education recruitment climate, there has been increasing discussion regarding community college enrollment challenges. In particular, some political, civic, and educational leaders have made attempts to entice prospective students with offers for free tuition. While this model may sound beneficial at a surface level, it also has notable flaws for higher ed.

If free tuition isn’t on the table at your community college this year, there are still effective methods for attracting and recruiting students. By using a creative, digitally effective admissions process, it’s possible to boost enrollment numbers while offering excellent services and education.

In this post, we’ll take a deep dive into the current trends and share what colleges can do instead to attract students. We’ll look at branding, marketing, and application processes as methods for increasing student numbers.

Higher Education Recruitment and Free Tuition Trends

In recent years, many political leaders (and some government agencies) have run on platforms of providing free or low-cost tuition to underserved student populations, including first-generation students. 

These efforts are primarily focused on providing free community college at the local community level. Proponents of these plans believe in the benefits of providing high-quality education to students, regardless of socioeconomic factors, including income level. Some supporters have even put four-year college degrees up for consideration.

At the same time, offering a blanket free tuition program (initiated at the federal level) has certain drawbacks. Economics and higher education experts have analyzed available data and reported that the popularity of “free college” as a mantra is sometimes outweighed by implementation and long-term funding problems.

In a Third Way report, researchers share that tuition-free college “is rife with implementation, efficacy, and equity issues. Over time, free college programs may further erode the resources available to the nation’s most under-resourced institutions.” What seems like a community-building program in the short term could actually hamper future community education efforts.

Outreach programs and nonprofit initiatives like College Promise have continued to drive the popularity of tuition-free higher education platforms. These organizations philanthropically advocate for public support of funding for at least two years of post-secondary education, making the initial years of college as accessible as high school.

Instead of providing a “no questions asked” free tuition platform per higher education institution, College Promise advocates for hard-working, qualifying students who must be eligible based on specific criteria. The goal is to remove roadblocks to upper education and improve talent pipelines for later career and professional work. 

The key here is ensuring that programs and policies are built with specific frameworks in mind. By instituting tuition-free education that accompanies specific criteria, communities can ensure that educational resources and funding are distributed responsibly.  

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Creative Recruitment Strategies for Community Colleges

Although the efforts to provide free or low-cost tuition to incoming students are still in the initial phases of planning and proposals, colleges and universities still need to fill seats. Fortunately, full enrollment doesn’t have to depend strictly on the removal of fees and tuition—it’s possible to build a modern recruitment strategy in other ways, too. 

In fact, Inside Higher Ed reports that community colleges around the country are seeking more and more creative tactics and strategies to keep new students coming in the door. 

Let’s take a closer look at how some of these strategies play out in real-world scenarios.  

One of the keys to attracting more students is to build an appealing college or university brand. Branding involves many elements, which may include:

Offers aimed at a specific target audience

Many community colleges have become mainstays in the local community, and it’s easy for branding that’s been in place for decades to get lost among the competition. If it’s been years since your community college has had a branding facelift, it might be time to invest resources into this important step.

As part of the rebranding process, don’t forget to incorporate underserved student populations and those that might miss traditional marketing messages. Since these are some of the students that free tuition programs are trying to capture, it’s important to be considerate of their needs, goals, and college plans.

Reach Students Online—Where They Spend Time

One of the more recent trends in college marketing and recruitment is social media marketing. Because students are already spending time on social platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, schools should take advantage of this visibility by getting in front of students where they are.

Admissions officers should develop creative and engaging ways to advertise the school’s brand on social media. Additionally, you should always have a plan in place for responding to and engaging with students. For example, if you accept student messages and contact requests on social platforms, you have to have a process in place for replying to those and taking action. 

Serving prospective students through social media could be one of the most effective ways to build your bottom-of-funnel marketing presence.

Offer Proactive Assistance for Job Success

Today’s students are under increasing pressure to avoid massive student loan debt and to pursue an education that pays off in the long run. Future career growth and potential can be directly correlated to how willing students are to persist or to stay enrolled in their initial programs. And although community colleges often bridge the gap to further degree opportunities, it’s still crucial to construct them with professional opportunities in mind.

In order to attract more community college students, offer job-related resources to degree-seeking individuals. Be proactive in securing business partnerships, internship opportunities, and career-related resources that can directly benefit students.  

Having a digital and seamless application process (in addition to other creative recruitment methods), can be one more way to get as many qualifying students in the door as possible. When you start to remove barriers to entry, it’s possible to reach a greater number of students than before.

Community college admissions departments can turn to customizable admissions software to collect new applications, send timely reminders, deliver feedback, and send out offers. With a solution like Element451, these steps are possible all in one place. The advantages of a quick, seamless process are relevant for students and staff alike.

How can community colleges rise above hurdles like declining enrollments, weak tech infrastructure, and budgetary constraints to reach more prospective students?

How to Create Recruiting Alternatives to Free Tuition

At first glance, competing with promises of free tuition might seem like a tall order for most smaller schools and community colleges. But remember—there is no guarantee that these offers will stand the test of time or even secure the funding and votes needed to make free tuition a reality in all states.

As a result, it’s advantageous to invest in recruiting strategies that help you build an excellent college brand, in which your school’s reputation speaks for itself. To be known for serving harder-to-reach students, put time and resources into marketing specifically to those audiences. Then, build effective processes (like digital applications and enrollment) that make it easier to get started without added stress.

To carry out this plan successfully, you’ll need collective buy-in from leaders in executive positions and recruitment professionals in various departments. Transparent communication is also vital, both for internal team members and for reaching students outside of your direct sphere of influence.

Discover Powerful Recruitment Processes for Higher Education Institutions

In a time when multiple factors are contributing to higher education enrollment challenges, institutions need innovative processes that have the ability to combat student recruitment challenges. While discounted tuition may be effective in certain scenarios or in limited timeframes, it may not prove to be a long-term solution to student recruitment.

Adhering to best practices in your marketing and recruiting strategies can help your team reap the benefits of a steady student pipeline. Additionally, digitizing your existing application and enrollment processes can also serve your goals for future terms.  

Schedule an Element451 demo today to modernize your community college application and enrollment processes with powerful admissions software. It’s the perfect time to jump start enrollment management initiatives at your school.

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